Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1739 - 1738: The Witch’s Dream

"Don’t say these useless words. I provided you with the materials, now you have to tell me what you actually know."

Megan urged, as the man in the painting shook his head:

"Your temper is much worse than your ancestor’s."

"Speak quickly!"

"[Green Spine Ore]. This island itself is an unstable space zone, which is why it produces this unique ore. I was hired by Lord Edwards at the time to come here and search for and mine minerals on his behalf. Every year there is a period when Green Lake’s water turns green, which is related to this ore. Although I didn’t find it, I’m convinced that there is the largest Green Spine Ore vein in the material world beneath the lakebed.

You probably don’t know, but before every generation of the Edwards family is born, the mother is heavily injected with a special magic potion infused with [Green Spine Ore]."

"But spatial talent cannot be manufactured."

Shard reminded.

"Yes, but spatial talent can be artificially enhanced."

The man in the painting said.

This is indeed possible, just like if the core spirit rune of a circle sorcerer is a whisper element, then the awakening process is influenced by the power of the relic, which counts as artificial interference and enhancement of certain talents of the circle sorcerer.

However, if a special potion containing minerals is directly injected into the mother, it will certainly have effects on her. Shortening her lifespan should be considered the mildest side effect; the appearance of green crystals in her body might not be the most serious consequence.

"Part of human alchemy."

Megan’s lips twitched slightly. The Grand Witch of Wisdom and Knowledge knows more than Bizard.

"What else do you know?"

She asked again, and the man in the painting closed his eyes:

"All of you are destined to return here; no matter how you resist, you all must return."

The key was thrown out by the man in the painting and then actually flew out of the oil painting, clattering onto the desk. When they looked at the oil painting again, the man in it no longer moved at all; it was just an ordinary oil painting now.

"I gave so many precious metals, and this is all he said... the fourth key."

Megan picked up the key, carefully placing it into her satchel. She looked up at Shard and, after hesitating, asked again:

"What do you think about artificially created life?"

"Your father, your grandfather, they weren’t artificially created life. They were born of their respective mothers, just influenced by some factor at birth."

Shard knew what she was worried about:

"You are still human; you don’t need to doubt that. Although what constitutes a human being is currently defined from a hereditary standpoint, even if it involves part of human alchemy, I still believe you are human."

Megan forced a smile; this issue impacted her more than Shard’s words could erase.

So Shard took her hand voluntarily:

"I suppose I’ve never told you about my origin, have I?"

The witch nodded:

"You only mentioned you had no relatives."

"Besides that, I actually have no memories from before last summer."

Shard looked into her beautiful golden eyes:

"I rarely talk to strangers about this, and even my close companions seldom bring it up with me. But actually, after I formally awakened my talent last summer, only then did I have memories."

"Wait, you reached six rings in less than a year?"

Megan was greatly surprised:

"Who is your teacher? Can I talk to her about educational matters?"

"That’s not the point, please let me finish. Before last summer, I was always a fool with low intelligence. Well, maybe not particularly foolish, just intellectually challenged enough to manage basic self-care. I was a vagabond, picked up by my uncle, and for some reason, he fostered and trained me."

The witch’s golden eyes seemed to see the strength of his soul.

"Not long after I ’awoke,’ maybe about five or six minutes later, my uncle passed away. Thus, without any memories, any life knowledge, any ties, and any relatives, I ’came into being’ in this world. Can you imagine such a scenario?"

"Perhaps it was the reality of your uncle’s impending death that put immense mental pressure on you, prompting the awakening of your talent."

She softly uttered her analysis, while Shard smiled and shook his head:

"Do you believe these stories?"

"Are you saying, you made these up?"

She slightly widened her eyes, then saw Shard shake his head again:

"No, these are all the information I’ve found after I woke up. But I can’t find anyone who can provide information about my past. All the intelligence concerning me comes from indirect sources. You know I am from Saint Byrons, but even Saint Byrons can’t identify my origins...how can there not be a problem?"

The Witch slightly pursed her lips:

"Yes, listening to you describe it like this, your past must have significant problems."

Shard continued to stare into Audrey’s eyes, that slightly oppressive yet somewhat melancholic gaze made the Witch’s heart beat faster:

"I can’t find anything about this body’s past; it’s like I was conjured out of thin air and brought into this world. Miss Apothecary, even so, I still consider myself human and actively integrate into this world, exploring my origin and background. Then why do you, with a father, family, and so many friends learned along the way, feel anxious over such a trivial matter?"

The Outlander’s eyes showed a hint of a smile:

"Compared to you, am I not more pitiable? But see, I’ve never been troubled by these issues."

The hesitation in the Witch’s eyes indeed disappeared, and she looked at Shard with some compassion, then opened her arms to embrace him:

"Have you always been lonely? So, that Heart of Indifference affects you so much?"

She indeed no longer worried about her own problems, understanding how fortunate she is through comparison.

"At least I’m not lonely now."

Shard gently patted the Witch’s back, she seemed startled, quickly let go of Shard. She took a deep breath to adjust her emotions, then promised Shard:

"After we finish dealing with the Green Lake’s matters, I’ll help you investigate your past. I know some very capable people."

"I came to this island to investigate my past. Remember my goal? The Sun, Moon, and Stars emblem on the letters appearing in your family, the origin of that emblem is closely related to my past."

Audrey nodded heavily:

"I will help you. Look, it’s already noon; let’s leave by boat first, have lunch, and then come back to dream together."

They left together, and as they walked out of the house, the Witch softly said:

"The first girl who met you must be really lucky."

"Why do you say that?"

"Meeting you when you were most lonely...when you have time, introduce us."

"Certainly."

They returned to the pier together, and then took the small boat away from the Mist Area. During this time, Audrey was replaced by Megan, the Female Sorcerer maneuvered the small boat to the lakeside, and the two of them had lunch on the boat.

Shard used the kitchen services obtained through the use of a Ruby with the [Fiona’s Housekeeper] last time, so this midday, he still had the Dragon Maid on the other end of time prepare lunch. Megan noticed the unusual nature of this Arcane Technique and jokingly speculated that maybe a certain Space-Time Dragon capable of traversing time had taken a liking to Shard.

After lunch, the small boat once again carried the two to the island pier in the mist. Because they needed to dream together, they couldn’t casually set up a tent to sleep for safety reasons.

The closer they were to the island’s central area, the more likely they were to encounter the "door" after entering the dream, so Megan ultimately chose the house in Green Lake Town. They carefully inspected the selected building and then used Arcane Techniques and rituals like "Thorns of the Moon" to repeatedly reinforce and ensure safety.

Busy until two-thirty in the afternoon, confirming everything was ready, they headed to the bedroom together. Seeing the large bed in the room, Megan’s heart skipped a beat. She hesitated to follow behind Shard, then saw Shard naturally lie down.

"Do you do this often?"

She asked as if casually.

"Do you mean dreaming? Those I dream with are usually my psychiatrist, who is very professional. Alright, let’s not say too much, let’s hurry up, we have things to do tonight during the Night of the Eclipse."

Shard patted the space beside him, and Megan lay down as well. The instant Shard reached out and held her hand—physical connection is required for shared dreaming, the Female Sorcerer’s body visibly shuddered.

She pursed her lips, using her free hand to draw ritual symbols on their tightly clasped hands. But before lying down, she said to Shard:

"When you see my spirit body in the dream later, please don’t be too shocked...I’ve decided to confess some things to you first, and leave the rest for Friday’s banquet."

"If we’re in a deep dream, when you see my dream form, don’t be too surprised either."

Shard had changed both the pillow and bed sheets to new ones, and Megan, smoothing her hair, laid down. Holding hands, they both closed their eyes, and even without actively activating the [Heart of Stone], Shard could distinctly feel Megan’s heartbeat.

Thus, he listened to the reassuring heartbeat, gradually feeling sleepy.

The body seemed to fall endlessly in darkness, consciousness becoming a bit hazy yet clear.

Realizing that he was in a dream, Shard opened his eyes and sat up suddenly, covering his chest and breathing loudly, he felt like he suddenly broke to the surface from underwater. The surrounding setting was no longer the small house’s bedroom in the town; instead, he lay on the pier in the mist, but Megan’s small boat was not moored there.